Major Arcana Tarot Cards – The Magician
Drawing the Magician in a reading can be confusing for a first-timer. It seems to represent a magical being, casting a spell. On closer inspection, you can see that he has some arcane-looking items on a table in front of him and some weird-looking figure-of-eight floating above his head. Even his belt seems to be otherworldly; a snake eating its own tail. Few of us feel like magical beings at any given time – so what is the meaning behind this card?
Inner Power
The good news is that the Magician is all about power; the power that we all have, but are probably unaware of. This card tells us that we have the power to change whatever it is we don’t like about our lives and shape the destiny we desire, but we will need to locate our gifts and use them. The table in front of the Magician is covered with artefacts: a staff, a sword, a chalice and a pentacle. It’s no coincidence that these are the four suits of the Tarot; these represent the tools we all have at our disposal: thought, creativity, action and emotion.
Actions and Consequences
But what about that figure-of-eight? The technical term is a lemniscate and this represents the limitless power of thought; think a thing and you can do it – but you must act wisely, because every action has its consequences. Here, the Magician is reminding us that, although we have a responsibility to ourselves, we also have responsibilities to others and should not act without thinking it through. And that funky belt? The self-devouring snake also symbolises the infinite nature of energy, but also speaks of regeneration. But this is not regeneration of a physical sort; this regeneration is to be applied on a higher level. The Magician’s snake reminds us that every step we take can be the beginning of a new journey if we want it to; we can dispense with old, outdated thoughts and pursue a new lifestyle at any moment we choose.
Whether you feel like a magical being or not, the Magician reminds us that we all have powers up our sleeves and can use them to enrich our lives.